A Closer Look At Our Wine Boxes

We Handcraft Premium Wine Boxes

Wine crates are usually something that is tacked together, used to transport bottles and then discarded. Unfortunately, many items marketed as wine "boxes" fall into this category. They are poorly constructed, have lids that don't fit or operate properly and are not built to last. We handcraft our wine boxes to be a treasured keepsake of unmatched fit and finish. We realize that when making an online purchase it is sometimes hard to see the differences, but we know they are in the details.

Proudly Handmade By Craftsmen

Most wine boxes you will find are either a cheaply purchased box made in mass from overseas, a box someone has outsourced to another company who does not take real pride in the end product, or a poorly crafted project by someone who just tries to copy what others have created. We promise you that none of these options can match our craftsmanship or our passion for the end product. We hand-make each box right here in our workshop, from start to finish, overseeing every aspect of it's creation. A craftsman spends the extra time needed to ensure each and every box meets our high expectations for quality and detail. We do this to ensure that you receive a box you will be as proud to give, as we are to make.

Dovetailed Corner Joints

We use half-blind dovetail joints to create the corners of our boxes. This method of joinery requires skill and precision. While it is more complicated and labor intensive to make, it is stronger and more attractive than typical box joints or the nailed, screwed and glued construction found in most other wine boxes. Dovetails are often found in high-end furniture and cabinetry for a reason - it is beautiful, strong, and will last.

Concealed Lid Groove

Many wine boxes you will see have a gapping hole in the back where the slot for the lid shows on the end of the box. You may not see this in the picture of the box online, because they have not shown the box from that angle. We find this unattractive and, frankly, a bit lazy. Our lid groove is fully concealed giving the outer box a more attractive and a finished look.

Boxes Made from Aspen

Aspen is a clean wood that is light in color. It has a fairly low oil content as opposed to pine and other woods making it less aromatic, which is an important factor when building a wine box. Wine can pick up aromas through the cork that alter the flavor when stored for long periods of time. Using less aromatic aspen assures that the wine in the box will not take on any unintended flavors. Most of our aspen is harvested in the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada. We use 1/2" solid aspen to create the sides of our boxes creating a strong, substantial feeling in the hand, without being bulky. Many other wine boxes you will find are made from thinner wood that will tend to warp over time or thicker wood that makes the box unnecessarily heavy and chunky looking.

Lids Made from Baltic Birch Plywood

Baltic Birch is a premium plywood often used by cabinet makers. We use this material for the lids and backs of our boxes. It provides a wonderfully clean substrate for engraving. It contains five thick plys, as opposed to many veneer plywoods that have much thinner veneers. In order to insure the highest quality for our products, we have taken the extra step of working with the mill to produce a higher grade of plywood than is typically commercially available. Our lids are 1/4" thick and each one is fit by hand to ensure smooth operation.

In the Raw for a Reason

We do not apply finishes to most of our boxes for a few reasons. The first is you will be storing a food product (wine) in the box for an extended period of time. We do not want any harmful odors or VOCs from a finish to interfere with the taste of the wine being stored. Wine (esp. corked wine) can pickup odors from it's surroundings so it is best to keep the box in its raw state. The second is that any clear finish would need to be applied after your order is custom engraved, as the engraving process would remove any protective finish applied previously. This would add significant time to the delivery of your order. A third reason is the finish is usually applied to enhance the woods natural beauty. The aspen we use does not really benefit from this as it is beautiful in its raw pure state and does not typically contain much grain character to be enhanced. The finishes we do offer on some designs are only applied to the outside and lids of the box and meant to enhance that design. These finishes are not protective and are applied long before your order is placed or engraved, allowing them ample time to dry completely before shipping.

Precise Engraving & Original Designs

All of our artwork is either created by us or one of our artist partners making each design original and unique. Our in-house engraving studio uses top-of-the-line laser engravers to ensure crisp and precise engravings. Our craftspeople are dedicated to insuring your order is not only accurate but beautiful.

You are shopping and you will no doubt look around and see other makers that our creating things similar to our original concepts and designs. I assure you they will never be able to match our passion and craftsmanship. We have spent years pouring over every detail of our wine boxes to make sure they are not only beautiful but function properly - working tirelessly to provide the highest quality at the best value possible. We know that there is nothing worse than purchasing a product online only to receive it and realize it does not meet your expectations or match the picture shown. It is our goal to exceed your expectations in every way - from the originality of our products, to the quality of our craftsmanship, to the excellence of our customer service, to the reaction you get from the person receiving the gift.